It's their early gymnastics background, Bonner and Hurlburt both said, that helped them transform into District 11 diving champions.

Bonner won the Class 2A boys title in record-setting fashion and Hurlburt edged out her friendly rival to capture the 3A girls crown during the district championships last weekend at Emmaus High School.

Other champions crowned were Central Catholic senior Nicole Sagl, who easily won her fourth 2A girls title, and Parkland sophomore Chris Lehman, who won the 3A boys event.

Bonner's 11-dive score of 528.90 points shattered the previous meet and pool record by 17 points.

"I was pretty satisfied with the way things went," said Bonner, who placed seventh among Class 2A divers at last season's state meet.

"It was almost a perfect meet for me. I hit almost all my dives except the last one. I was really hyped up, everyone was telling me to beat the record and even though I was trying not to pay attention, it was tough before that last dive. But it all worked out in the end and I'm happy with my score."

Salisbury coach Ken Vincent said Bonner's made significant improvement during the past 12 months — and it showed.

"He's gotten to where he is today because of his dedication to the sport over the last six years. And it paid off with an outstanding performance at the District 11 championships," said Vincent, who credited Parkland diving coach Cary Lehman with mentoring Bonner.

"I think consistency is Denny's biggest improvement. At these big meets, you cannot mess up a single dive and he hasn't."

It was in eighth grade when Bonner transformed from swimmer to diver.

Now, he only swims "when my coach makes me."

"I used to do gymnastics but I stopped that and started swimming," Bonner said. "We were at an end-of-the-year swimming party and we were messing around on the diving board. My coach saw me and said I should try it. I've been diving ever since. It was definitely different at first, but at the same time, I was used to flipping. I learned fast and I've liked it ever since."

The most drama at the district diving championships came during the 3A girls meet.

Hurlburt, the freshman phenom, and Easton senior Kelsey Jehl, the defending champ, were considered co-favorites to win the crown and they went head-to-head throughout their 11 dives. (Jehl bested Hurlburt during the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference competition.)

"It's really great competing against her," Hurlburt said of her Easton rival. "She's one of my best friends and she calms me down a lot. We help each other. We're on the same club team so we know each other's strengths and weaknesses. We both want to win, yes, but at the end of the day we're very supportive of each other."

Emmaus coach Tim O'Connor praised Hurlburt's focus and maturity for a ninth-grader, but said her ear-to-ear smile afterward was a welcomed sight.

"She's so even-keeled and so good at what she does that you rarely see her crack a smile," said O'Connor, whose Green Hornet boys will be favored to win another District 11 title at this weekend's swimming championships. "It was just so nice for me to see her smile."

"I was very excited and relieved," Hurlburt admitted. "I was very nervous because I knew a bunch of the divers and they were really good. I knew it'd be very competitive. I was happy when it was over and I saw my score."

Hurlburt said she started diving four years ago. "I quit gymnastics and wanted a sport that I could keep using the same skills. It looked really fun, so I tried it."

Next up for Hurlburt and the other District 11 diving champions and runners-up are the PIAA Swimming and Diving Championships on March 11-14 at Bucknell University.

Despite participating in numerous elite meets over the years, Hurlburt expects she'll be dealing with some anxiety over her state diving debut.

"I'm really nervous and excited," she said. "It'll be the first time I go there. I want to do my best and have fun."

DISTRICT 11 DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS

At Emmaus HS

Note: The top two finishers in each classification qualify for the PIAA Swimming and Diving Championships.